Chapter 101: The Flutter-Flutter Fruit, Diamante [Second Update]

Compared with swordsmanship, he still preferred smashing people directly with his fists. Nothing could match the sensation of fists striking flesh.

Shu Mingyuan gave a bitter smile and shook his head. When he looked toward Diamante again, his eyes had turned cold and indifferent.

“Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!”

His hands formed seals, and a powerful surge of chakra erupted. Shu Mingyuan opened his mouth and spat a massive fireball toward Diamante. Scorching heat spread through the air, making it grow noticeably drier.

The crimson cloak behind Diamante billowed within the fireball, wrapping around him layer by layer like a spherical shell. As the user of the Flutter-Glitter Fruit, Diamante could transform anything he touched into a light, cloth-like form, without changing the material from which it was made.

Thus, that crimson cloak was actually forged from solid steel. Yet at that moment, it flowed as softly as silk.

Diamante calmly walked out of the fireball. Though the flames were searingly hot, they were nowhere near powerful enough to burn through his steel cloak.

Shu Mingyuan raised an eyebrow. Diamante certainly had some skill. No wonder he was one of the Donquixote Family’s top executives.

“Snake Sword!”

Diamante stamped his foot and shot forward. His rapier thrust straight at Shu Mingyuan’s throat. The blade’s tip rapidly enlarged in Shu Mingyuan’s vision, but he shifted slightly to the side and evaded it with ease.

A cold smile touched Diamante’s lips. With a flick of his wrist, the rapier’s tip suddenly bent sideways. Like a streak of white, serpentine lightning, it thrust once more toward Shu Mingyuan’s back.

“An attack like this cannot be predicted with Observation Haki?”

Shu Mingyuan murmured. He immediately activated his Three-Tomoe Sharingan, and in an instant, violent currents of electricity exploded across his body.

“Lightning Release: Earth Walk!”

The lightning was faster than the Snake Sword. In the blink of an eye, Diamante’s body was covered in dense, raging electricity.

His figure paused for the briefest moment. Then a layer of black energy spread across him, and the intense numbness brought on by the lightning vanished at once.

But that moment of hesitation had already given Shu Mingyuan enough time to react. He arched backward as the Snake Sword swept dangerously past his face like a white bolt of silk. Then he struck out with a kick in midair, driving his foot into Diamante’s abdomen.

Diamante’s body shot into the sky. Shu Mingyuan followed with Moonwalk, instantly appearing above him.

“Lion Barrage!”

His right leg lashed out like a vicious whip, striking heavily against Diamante’s waist. Diamante’s body slammed into the ground once more.

Boom!

A huge crater appeared in the earth. Shu Mingyuan frowned slightly. Both of his kicks had felt as though they had struck an iron plate. Diamante had the protection of his steel cloak and Armament Haki. Though he looked battered, he had not actually suffered any serious injuries.

Sure enough, Diamante climbed out of the crater and brushed the dust from his body. His crimson cloak still fluttered in the wind, and his tribal-chieftain-like attire had suffered little damage. After all, it was made entirely of hard steel.

“Not bad, Ghost Hunter. No wonder you’re known as the Great Calamity.”

Diamante’s voice was heavy. Though they had exchanged only a few blows, he had already felt considerable pressure from Shu Mingyuan. It might have seemed that he had blocked every attack, but Shu Mingyuan’s strength had still caused him a great deal of pain.

“Heh. You’ll be feeling much more of it soon.”

Shu Mingyuan remained calm and untroubled.

“Then I’ll look forward to it.”

Diamante grinned. A mysterious wave spread outward from him as its center. The vast clearing at the heart of the forest suddenly began to billow like canvas. It resembled an ocean surging with enormous waves, yet the surface remained solid ground.

“Army Flag!”

Shu Mingyuan frowned. His body swayed along with the constantly rising and falling earth. Fighting under such conditions would clearly diminish his combat ability, and even his use of Shave would become difficult to control.

“Ghost Hunter, how does it feel now?”

Diamante slowly raised both hands. The ground began to tremble even more violently, yet his body maintained perfect balance. Shu Mingyuan, by contrast, could barely keep himself steady.

A cruel smile spread across Diamante’s face.

“Snake Sword!”

The rapier in his hand once again transformed into a streak of white, twisting like a python as it lunged toward Shu Mingyuan. The Snake Sword was unbelievably fast, and its direction could be changed at will. Ordinary Observation Haki could not predict it.

As long as Ghost Hunter could not maintain his balance, the battle would fall entirely under Diamante’s control.

“Moonwalk!”

Shu Mingyuan stamped down hard and leapt into the air. The Snake Sword followed close behind, its fierce assault instantly forcing him into a disadvantageous position.

“What a chaotic mess of an attack. Are you putting on a circus act for me?”

Shu Mingyuan’s expression turned cold. Armament Haki hardened around his body. He seized the Snake Sword with one hand and yanked hard. At the opposite end of the blade, Diamante’s body was pulled off the ground and sent flying toward him.

“Chidori Sharp Spear!”

A ten-meter spear of lightning rapidly condensed in his palm before he hurled it with all his strength toward Diamante.

The lightning spear seethed with violent electrical power. After being compressed to an extreme degree, this A-rank technique possessed tremendous penetrating force. Even steel could be pierced with ease.

Diamante gritted his teeth in midair. He had actually been dragged into flight. Facing the incoming lightning spear, he spread his cloak before him like a shield.

Screech!

With the majestic force of thunder surging through it, the Chidori Sharp Spear tore through the air and arrived before Diamante in an instant. Against the crimson steel cloak, it plunged forward without hesitation.

The lightning spear pierced through the cloak with ease. Diamante’s expression darkened. He covered his vital points with Armament Haki, then lengthened his rapier and placed it directly in the spear’s path.

The interception altered the lightning spear’s trajectory. Even with Armament Haki hardening his body, Diamante’s side was still violently pierced through.

He let out a pained grunt. He had never expected Ghost Hunter’s counterattack to be so fierce. Even under two layers of protection, he had nearly suffered a grave injury.

“Bull-Horned Blade!”

Diamante growled and pulled the lightning spear from his body through gritted teeth. Under the influence of his power, the rapier continuously twisted into the shape of a charging bull before returning to its original hardness.

He gripped the hilt and thrust it forward. At that moment, the rapier seemed to transform into an ancient bull. Its horns radiated a chilling menace, while its body possessed the force of a raging beast. The air itself was compressed until it exploded, making the attack impossible to stop.

Moooo!

The cry of the sword sounded like the roar of a bull.

Shu Mingyuan drew a deep breath. His feet continued stepping through the air with Moonwalk. At the same time, his right arm extended backward and instantly expanded to enormous proportions. Wrapped entirely in Armament Haki, he thrust his palm forward with tremendous force.

“Super Expansion Technique: Super Push!”